Posts Tagged ‘hobbies’
What Are Hairdressing Employers Looking For In An Employee?
No matter what the field of work or line of business, potential employers have some serious demands when it comes to hiring employees. In the hairdressing industry, the prospective employer must look for many attributes.
Naturally, their skills are very important because if they don?t have the ability to do the work it doesn?t matter what other attributes they have they just will not fit into the salon in the capacity they are being hired for.
There are many people skills that are required in the Hairdressing Industry. No matter how wonderful of a technical job the applicant may be able to do, if she possesses no people skills then she will not have good customer relations. This means in the end that there will be very little repeat business generated from this employee. That is one critical element of being successful in the hair industry and that?s being able to build a clientele.
As a potential employer during your interview, you need to look for the signs of an individual having a good personality. In addition to this, they need to be enthusiastic about their work. An initial interview really doesn?t give you much time to get to know the person so you are going to have to make judgments very quickly, which can sometimes seem unfair. The applicant who can present positive qualities within this short period will most likely be an asset to your Salon.
Not only should the applicant be showing interest in the job because of finances and needing to work, there should be a natural eagerness to work at something they enjoy. Potential employees that are looking at the position as merely a job often do not stay in one place for any length of time.
If possible, try to find out what their attendance record was like during school. This will give you a good idea as to how committed they are to their vocation, as well as being punctual. Nothing worse than having a client wait for the stylist to show up.
You also want an employee that is eager to continue learning. Quite often hairdressing students believe that once they graduate that?s the end of learning it?s just a matter of gaining experience. This is not the case in this industry. Fashion, which includes hair, is ever changing and the success Salon has to keep up with those changes. If the staff is not motivated in, doing this then the business will soon become outdated.
Another asset that your potential employee should possess is the ability to work under pressure. Keeping to time schedules can be a daunting task and at times clients may become irate at being kept waiting. The stylist must be able to calmly handle this type of situation. A salon that employees numerous stylists means that employees are working in constant contact with each other. Your employees must be team players otherwise; it makes for a very negative environment. Clients have the knack of being able to notice this and it makes them feel uncomfortable. All considerations must be based on the clients because the success of the business is built on this.
Beekeeping: A Perfect Home Business
Most people when looking for a good home business, most of the time over look the beekeeping option. Apiculture is a good business model, because it is a low cost business, the product is needed, and is environmentally friendly. It’s a great way to make extra money for your family, on the other hand producing your own honey, wax and other useful products.
- What you need to start your Beekeeping Business
You really don’t need a lot to start this type of business. Not that much space is needed as well, because hives can even be kept in a small garden or even in a rooftop garden. But they should be kept close to plants that produce nectar, like meadow flowers, or clover. Oilseed rape is also liked by bees, so if you are in an area where that is grown, starting a beekeeping business would be a good idea.
Now this doesn’t mean it has to be right next door, because bees travel as many as four miles to get their nectar. Now, once you have decided where to have your bees, you need to choose the type of hive you want. The Langstroth hive is more popular to beekeepers, so called because it was the name of the inventor. This is the wooden box with frames of wax that come in the honeycomb pattern.
- Start by Learning
When managing a hive, you should manage it in such a way that the honey production is kept at a maximum. It does take some knowledge and skill, and anyone who is thinking about starting a beekeeping business, needs to learn, maybe not everything about beekeeping, only the basics. If you are seriously thinking about this new enterprise, then you should pick up a few books on the subject, and if possible join a local beekeepers association. You will learn a lot from being around other beekeepers.
- The Needed Tools
One good thing about beekeeping is that you don’t need a lot of tools, especially if managing around 2 hives. You will need a hive tool, which helps you in opening the hive to inspect it. You will need the hive and the bees. The other equipment needed is beekeeping gear and the smoker box. The smoke box calms the bees, and when you puff some smoke into the hive it calms the bees, and lets you inspect better.
- Getting Your Bee Colony
The easiest way to get your bee hive is to buy a ready made colony, which is bought from beekeeping suppliers. If this way doesn’t appeal to you, then you might consider a nucleus, which consists of a queen with workers that come from another colony. You can place them in your hive and then feed them with sugar water until they are established, and ready to find their own nector to feed on.
Getting a colony is the 3rd way which is the most dangerous and involves getting a swarm. You have to get a swarm which has a queen bee and lots of workers. You will find these in trees. You do this by cutting the branch and make the bees fall into your box. Take your box to the hive and lay a sheet on the ground. Then just shake the bees so thy get out of your box onto the sheet and then they will find the way to your hive.
Beekeeping Businesses Owned by Families
A number of people don’t just go in beekeeping it’s something they were raised and brought up in. Most companies that deal with beekeeping and providing beekeeping supplies are family owned. Dadant and Sons, a company based out of Hamilton, IL has been in the business of providing beekeeping equipment and has been around for many years.
They sell everything from beekeeping attire from the head to the torso, and even full body suits with headwear. They also sell journals that are published about beekeeping and also selling copies from the archives as well.
They have a large selection of books that give you a lesson on beekeeping to candle making since many beekeepers also not only collect and sell honey, but make candles as well out of the beeswax. A lot of family owned beekeepers usually produce the honey and beeswax items on their farms and sell to local stores. Usually it’s a family business that has been a long-standing tradition.
Most beekeeping families have been at this for several generations so it’s not a new thing many families get into with this. A lot of children grow up making this into their livelihood since its how their ancestors made their living. Many companies now are in fact commercially owned since so many family-owned businesses are forced out because of the rising cost of running a business and many mom and pop places that were not technologically advanced were the ones who suffered because those who had the resources to invest in websites and tools needed to stay ahead in the business were the ones who made the transition into the 21st century with their businesses.
This was a business that began as a simple hobby and just a small way to make extra money on the side or to just have something extra for the dinner table since honey was super popular to be put on hot biscuits and toast for dinner and breakfast since it was used as marmalade.
At the time honey wasn’t a big resource since people used sugar and molasses to use on their food, but the moment honey was discovered to be cheap and inexpensive to make that was the time beekeeping was popular and a business to make profits for many families in places where beekeeping is practiced.
As a result for this discovery of honey becoming inexpensive, which became what beekeeping has developed into today. The only issues was in this day and age more pesticides was being used and the problems with having to treat much of the honey that was being made which left a lot of people wondering how safe it was to consume such a product.
It was a concern since you have the organic food movement that totally goes against the use of pesticides and any means to chemically alter or treat food or livestock used for food products. Today you have family owned companies at the commercial level that produce honey products and beeswax used in cosmetics and candle making.
Starting a Beekeeping Business for Money
For anyone who wants to start a beekeeping business, an important fact to remember is that it involves a lot of hard work and is not something that is easy to maintain, especially if they want a good profit from this business. Doing it as a hobby may not need as much of an effort as when it is one’s livelihood and more time is needed.
A lot more money is needed in beekeeping as a livelihood than as a hobby and if you done this then you definitely need to get your money back. Good quantity is not only needed of produce from the beehives, you would also need the top quality honey so that you can get good sales. Make sure you also have the latest beekeeping equipment and keep to the latest technology to be sure you produce top quality honey always.
Most beekeepers have been in the business for a long time and know all the ropes of the trade. They also have a website which advertises their goods which gets them lots of extra customers. If you don’t own a business website then you will have limited customers as you will not be able to spread the word about your farm products to anyone else apart from those who stay in your locality.
Beekeeping is competitive
When comparing to the commercial beekeepers the small business beekeepers have a tough time competing. Producing small quantity honey takes a lot of effort and if the technology and equipment is not the latest in the market then the produce falls even lower and the hard work profit will be negligible at the end of the day.
To make the smaller beekeepers remain in business the commercial ones usually take advantage of the situation and buy up or sub contract the produce of the smaller business’s and add it on to their own. Other agricultural businesses have co operative societies but with beekeeping there is non. However, by subcontracting the smaller beekeepers is of benefit to both parties.
Those Sub Contractors
Though subcontracting may sound like a very good idea its totally not reliable because the company you subcontracted with can lay you off if they are not satisfied with your product or for any other reason. This is very risky because the outcome is not known and how the season will treat your products is unpredictable.
Beekeepers have to worry about their financial gain and keep wondering whether the market demand would be worth while or not in the coming seasons. There produce is not as dependable as a farmer who knows what his farm will give him if the climate is suitable and the weather good for his harvest.
When you are in the beekeeping business you are always concerned about the bee activities and how much they produce. This also depends on the climate which has to be suitable for the honey bees.
Hairdressing Apprenticeships – Get A Foundation Degree in Hairdressing
If you are entering the world of hairdressing then you will soon become familiar with the term Foundation degrees. It is imperative that hairdressing students gain as much knowledge and develop the necessary skills to make them competent and successful within the industry. This is where the Foundation degrees comes into play because they offer higher education qualifications. The basis for this is a partnership with potential employers to see that the student is meeting the standards and criteria of the Industry.
The foundation degree is flexible which really meets the needs of all potential students. It can be taken either on a full time or part time basis. This goes a long way in affording the individual who is currently working to embark on another career without having to quit their current job. This reduces much of the financial burden that is often placed on a student.
The courses that are within the Foundation degrees are structured to ensure that they are pertinent to the Industry which in this case in Hairdressing. The Foundation degree is a joint venture between the educational directors and the potential employers. This type of partnership insures that the level of training being offered meet the requirements of the present time demands. The knowledge is not becoming stale or outdated. As the student is learning the textbook theory, they are also gaining the practical or hands on knowledge in the salon environment. This type of training seems to far enhance the learning abilities of the student. Being able to put into practice what one is learning is a definite advantage to education.
Being involved in an agreed partnership like this means that the employer is fully aware of the student requirements, such as needing time off to write exams for example. This reduces the stress of the student having to approach an outside employer for time off.
As we mentioned this Program has either full time or part time options. Students that have competed their first level or A Level at College find it a great opportunity to progress from the completion of their college segment right into this program. If this is the choice then it will take two years to fully complete the foundation degree. This is naturally a much quicker method for the student to attain their overall goal of becoming a hairdresser.
There are some students though that cannot utilize the full time program because of various reasons. For example, they may be in the midst of a career changes and finances require they continue working at an unrelated job while in training for their new chosen career of hairdressing. This means the end goal will not be met until approximately 3-4 years, depending on the time availability of the student.
Beyond this degree, the graduate can venture onto an Honors degree if they wish to advance within the industry. This doesn?t take as long as one would think; in fact, it can be achieved within 12-15 months.
This type of training partnership opens the doors for many individuals desiring to become a hairdresser that would not under normal circumstances have the same opportunity.
The Fundamentals of Bicycle Maintenance
Bicycles are sturdy and reliable forms of transportation. They also require regular, routine bicycle maintenance and proper care if you want to keep them at the top of their game. While some bike failures are inevitable most of the trouble can be prevented if you are really conscientious about proper bicycle maintenance on an ongoing basis.
Bicycles today are made of special lightweight materials that have high tech components. These deserve checkups in the same way that a car may require. However, you can learn to be your own bike technician and mechanic. This is more or less required because if you bicycle breaks down most often there is no one around to fix the problem but you. Therefore, knowing basic bicycle maintenance is essential.
Begin your Bicycle Maintenance with an Inspection
How to clean and inspect your bike is the first thing on this list. You need to do this daily when you spend a lot of time riding your bike. If you only ride your bike occasionally, you can get by with weekly or monthly cleaning and inspections.
If you store your bicycle, you really should do a monthly checkup and bicycle maintenance routine to make sure that there are no problems with the bike. Cleaning your bike is easy when you use a small brush, a soft cloth and mild solution of soap. While you are rinsing off any dust and grime, you need to inspect for cracks and splits along the frame, tires, seats and lights.
To Ensure Your Safety, Tighten the Bolts
Occasionally you will need to check and then tighten the bolts, especially the stem bolts. However, do not over tighten them since it can damage them, over tightening, can even break your bolts. You should follow the detailed instructions when it comes to tightening your bolts so that they meet their specific torque ratings. You will require the use of a torque wrench to do this.
Tires are Essential
Make sure that there is an adequate amount of pressure in your tires while inspecting them. Properly inflated tires are not so easy to puncture or damage. You will be safer riding a bike with properly inflated tires. Patch any small leak as soon as you can to avoid creating even more problems.
This is an easy step in any bike maintenance checklist but it is often overlooked. Give each tire a spin to check visually for any type of foreign object that may be lodged in the treads. If there are small bits of debris and grit caught in the treads a tire brush will remove them. While you are doing this you can also see if there is any wobble or misalignment that needs a quick adjustment.
Chain Checks
The chain on your bicycle will need an occasional tightening. Check your chain each time before you get on your bike to make sure that it is not loose. Occasionally you will need to oil the chain on your bike.
Bicycle chain oil is specially designed for the chain; it is a thin, non-greasy type of solution. You only need to apply a few drops as needed. In order to work properly, chains, gears and other movable bike parts need a particular amount of lubrication. You will find that when it comes to the various safety features of your bike as well as knowing basic bicycle maintenance will come in handy to keep your bicycle in the best riding shape.
How to Begin Your Own Beekeeping Business
The thought of starting a beekeeping business does sound exciting and fun, but in reality a lot of work is done and a lot of time is involved.
Most people who are in this are actually doing this as a hobby. Having a hobby and a livelihood are two entirely different areas since one is something you invest time and in some cases money and one is when you’re trying to make a living at. Beekeeping is like farming you have to stay on top of the market demands and be technologically savvy because much of the business is going to depend on how fast you can produce a single product.
On the other hand you are going to find out that beekeeping isn’t even like that because if you expect to make a profit you would have had to have been in the business for a long time and following the trends on the beekeeping market demands are for that time. And if you don’t have a website in today’s world consider yourself a fossil in the area of business because that’s your only link to the rest of the world by having a website or even a page.
Most of the companies today are commercialized because the small businesses today are just not equipped to handle the mass production of honey and small businesses won’t make a lot giving the fact you are paid by the pound and the average amount after weighing the whole season isn’t a whole lot. Commercial beekeepers average a couple thousand pounds, but farmers have to really push production if they want to average at least $15-30 a year.
This is a competitive field to be selling honey and producing beeswax products since the beekeeping industry doesn’t function as a co-op like many organic farmers do. In this day and age where they work together beekeeping is sub-contract work and many of these small businesses are sub-contracted by these major proportions to produce honey under their label and their food line.
It may sound good to be subcontracting and all, but you are also competing for these contracts as well with other small businesses and they are very high risks that you lose your contracts if there honey buying companies that hire you aren’t happy for what ever reason with something it could be anything like the quality of the product.
That’s why this is a risky business to get involved with because the outcome is unknown and how the market will fair during the season since this is what a beekeeper bases their financial output by which is how much they need to anticipate on in all seasons.
Beekeepers almost have to base their financial gain through good weather and season with the market demand, but you can’t always predict good weather, which is what many worry about. They have more to worry about than crop farmers since they can make the difference when they get rain and lower climate suitable to the food they’re growing.
Beekeeping is dependent on the activity of the bees and how well they produce honey since bees produce in certain climates and temperatures. You should understand that in order to strive in this business a lot of serious work has to be done and time investing for this business to work in the long run.
Guide to Successful Beekeeping as a Hobby or Business
If you sure are ready to start beekeeping as a hobby, business, or study, then you will have thought about the needed hives and the equipment, which means your next step is to get your bees, which to some people is confusing, because they are lots of ways to get them.
-Purchase a Colony-
Colonies can be purchased from local beekeepers or beekeeping product suppliers. If you are a real beginner, this maybe the ideal way to getting your honey bees, although it is also the most expensive way. The colony will contain a queen, workers, drones, and frames of honeycomb with brood. Some even contain honey to feed the bees.
-Purchasing a Nucleus-
When you purchase a hive nucleus, you are given a queen and a few frames of worker bees with a small foundation. You will be given 5 frames, which is a good start for your hive, but is a bit slower than if you purchase the whole colony.
-The Package-
This can also be purchased from a local beekeeper or breeder. It will have a queen and about three pounds of worker bees only. This means you will need to feed the bees with some type of syrup until they feel comfortable to work for themselves.
-The Swarm-
This is probably the most economical way of getting your bees, but is very risky, and very hard. This method requires you to get your very own swarm. As a beginner this is not the best option because you don’t really know how they will react, or whether they have been Africanized, or not. Some swarms do carry diseases, or even mites, and can course problems for a beginner.
-When Should You Acquire Your Bees?-
April or May is the right time to start your hive. If you will consider purchasing them, order them in advice, to be delivered in the spring. When you buy bees later than June, then you risk them not having enough time to make enough honey for their winter and thus surviving. This meaning that the bees will be lost and the money you invested as well.
-The Money Needed-
Once you get used to beekeeping then you need to do your research as to the cost of bees. This way you can prepare a budget. Generally speaking your start up may run from about $500.00 to over $1,000.00 depending on the bees you buy and the hives you purchase.
-What to Expect?-
You shouldn’t expect to make your money back on that first year’s investment. It is going to take a while for a colony to get big and to build up its strength, and even then not every beekeeper is successful in a year. Sometimes it maybe natural, so don’t be afraid in starting all over again, if you lose the bees. You just have to chuck it up to a learning experience.
Beginners Guide to Beekeeping for Business or Hobby
Some specific principles need to be known when you start a new honey bee keeping project either for business or as a hobby. These are the principles that will let you get the highest profit out of your bee project. The principles of how to raise honeybees are structured around the bees themselves.
1. The first critical point in your project in choosing the bees, research has to be done on the different type of bees and the right type of bees good for your area. The best way to do this is to ask the local beekeepers in your area. They can tell you through their experience which type is right for you.
2. You put your bees in the hive and honey is formed there as well. Choosing the hive depends on the type of bees, the area you live, the amount of time you are willing to invest and the money you are willing to spend.
Generally bee hives are made from specific types of wood like cedar wood and pine wood; both of these types have a distinct smell, especially cedar wood which can impact the honey aroma. To choose the hive type depends on your experience on beekeeping, when starting out on beekeeping you may choose a hive that needs less maintenance even if it will cost them more.
3. The location of your hive is very important; it should be in an open area but away from strong air drafts. You should also have near by green fields so bees get their nector. If plantations are located between the hives then you must make sure that the plant insecticides used in the area will not harm your bees.
How to Dunk a Basketball: 8 Tips
So you’re working hard to finally learn how to dunk a basketball. Oh, how rewarding it can be! Few things in sports beat the thrill of dunking the ball, especially one that takes place during an actual game. Unless you’re blessed with extraordinary height, it takes work to make it happen. It’s very possible if you work hard at it though. Here are some tips to help you in your quest.
1. Practicing your dunks with smaller balls at first will be a nice transition before finally doing it with a basketball. It’s hard to pull off a one-handed dunk when the ball is so big, and dunking with two hands can be even harder! Practice with smaller balls first. Tennis, lacrosse, golf, and volleyballs should all do the job.
2. It’s important to both have leg strength and great endurance when learning how to dunk a basketball. By standing right under the basket and jumping without any kind of a running start, you’ll build both your legs and your endurance. Do fixed position jumps about 25 straight times, with no major rest in between jumps (a few seconds in between each jump tops).
3. Hopefully you have some leg muscle to help you out. If you don’t, start doing squats and dead lifts.
4. Lift weights with exercises that emphasize the hamstrings and the calves. While it’s very important to have strong quads, it’s equally important to make sure the muscle distribution within your legs is widespread.
5. Do sit-ups and other exercises to strengthen your abs. A strong midsection can work wonders toward helping you finally learn how to dunk a basketball.
6. Make sure you own a comfortable set of basketball shoes. They should be lightweight enough for you not to be impacted by the size of the shoes.
7. Eat healthy foods! Doritos, soda, pizza, and all of the other guilty pleasures are great, but they actually hinder your vertical. If you’re serious about learning how to dunk a basketball, a diet adjustment will do you good. Trust me on that.
8. There are training courses and systems out there that really work wonders for your vertical. I bought one of these and gained over 10 inches in less than two months. I was finally able to dunk after combining this with a lot of hard work.